Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Professional Development Strategy for Teachers in

A CASE STUDY The ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers in Guyana could provide a quick and cost- effective way to enhance and overhaul existing teacher programmes in environments with few resources, including human resources.

ICT are currently integral to many educational changes throughout the world. They have dramatically changed the learning and teaching environment, and have opened up new opportunities and access to educational resources well beyond those traditionally available.

The ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers in Guyana was developed in 2011. It is based on the assumption that, if teacher training programmes embrace ICT, there will be improvements in learner performance, and it acknowledges the central role that officials, teacher trainers, educators and learners play in the implementation and support of ICT in education. Although the strategy was originally devised in response to challenges — relating to education, migration and the economy, for example — in Guyana, it can be adapted to meet the needs of other countries in the developing world facing similar challenges. At the very least it could provide some potentially relevant lessons from which other countries contemplating the introduction of ICT could learn.

2 The Guyana Context powerful agent of change in this process. Consequently, using ICT in and training is now at the forefront Guyana’s population is predominantly rural; only 28 per cent of efforts to tackle ineffective teaching and low-quality of its 780,000 inhabitants live in urban areas. Life expectancy learning in classrooms. This is a challenge in a country is good — over 62 years for males and 70 years for females. where only 27 per cent of the population are Internet users. Expenditure on education in 2007 was 6.1 per cent of GDP, which ranks the country 28th in the world1 but functional The Ministry of Education developed an ICT Operational Plan has been a cause for concern. “Between 80 to 89 that recognises that integrating ICT into education means percent of the youth of the country are achieving at low to addressing issues of content, access and competency, as moderate levels of functional literacy. Indeed, it is estimated well as the actual integration of ICT into the processes of that the overall functional literacy rate in the country is in the teaching and learning, which requires both teachers and lower 50s.”2 Therefore, the government is actively addressing learners to be competent users of the available ICT. There was the quality of both primary and in a significant gap in the plan regarding teacher development Guyana. in ICT integration. Therefore, an ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers was developed in consultation with the Part of the problem lies in the low retention of qualified Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth of Learning teachers and the subsequent employment of untrained (COL), Microsoft and Neil Butcher & Associates in conjunction and unqualified teachers. In 2007, of 9,303 teachers only with the Guyana Ministry of Education, the National Centre for 4,523 (48.6%) were fully trained.3 The Ministry of Education Educational Resource Development (NCERD), the Cyril Potter has therefore given priority to increasing the number of of Education (CPCE) and the of Guyana (UG). qualified teachers by providing opportunities for both pre- The strategy includes several initiatives required to implement and in‑service teachers to gain the relevant qualifications. it, and is essentially a comprehensive framework and learning When the Ministry learned about the potential benefits of ICT, pathway for managers, teacher educators, teachers, student especially when combined with concurrent development of teachers and administrators to become competent in using ICT teacher ICT competencies, it realised that they could be a to support high-quality teaching and learning.

3 The ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers

The Guyana ICT Professional Development Strategy for activities and presentations, for management tasks and Teachers shares the broader vision of the Guyana Ministry for developing additional subject matter and pedagogical of Education’s ICT Operational Plan that: knowledge for their own professional development. Further, a significant number will be expected to be able to use more ICT and other assistive technologies for educational sophisticated methodologies and ICT to address changes in delivery will be supporting a quality and accessible the curriculum that will emphasise depth of understanding teaching and learning environment at all levels and application of school knowledge to real-world problems, of the education system in Guyana. Further, most and a new approach to in which the teacher serves graduates of the Secondary level will have attained as a guide and manager of a learning environment where core competencies in ICT Literacy. learners are engaged in extended, collaborative project-based In the long term, it is hoped that this strategy will equip learning activities that can go beyond the classroom and may all Ministry of Education officials, teacher development involve local or global collaborations.4 management and staff, school principals and teachers with the skills to use ICT effectively to support high-quality The Guyana ICT Professional Development Strategy provides teaching and learning in Guyanese schools. After training a comprehensive framework and learning pathway for they will be expected to be able to integrate basic ICT key stakeholders to learn to use ICT effectively to support tools into the standard school curriculum, pedagogy and high-quality teaching and learning. It uses the UNESCO ICT 5 classroom structures. They should also know how, where Competency Framework for Teachers (CFT) as its guiding and when (as well as when not) to use ICT for classroom framework and seeks to develop core competencies as illustrated in Figure 1.

Initial Teacher Training Continuing Professional Development

Introductory Specific Short Courses Advanced Diploma in Stand-Alone Course on (Specialised introductory courses Education Use of ICT in Education aimed at practising teachers, (Two specialised courses on (Dedicated, generic CPD qualified and unqualified, offered Technology ICT and on teaching IT as a course aimed at qualified, alongside generic CPD modules: Literacy subject, plus ICT focuses in practising teachers who have • Use of SuccessMaker other subject-specific not been taught about ICT in • Teaching IT as a Subject courses) their Initial Training) • ICT Maintenance and Support)

Stand-Alone Course Bachelor of Education on ICT integration in (Two specialised courses on Education Knowledge ICT and on teaching IT as a (Dedicated, generic CPD subject, plus ICT focuses in course aimed at qualified, Deepening other subject-specific practising teachers who courses) have not been taught about ICT in their Initial Training)

Specific Short Courses Menu of specialised CPD courses aimed at qualified, practising teachers: • ICT Integration for School Principals (both stand-alone and Knowledge integrated into current course for principals) Deepening • The Role of an ICT Coordinator • ICT Maintenance and Support • Incorporation of new courses as demand arises

Figure 1: ICT Professional Development Framework for Guyana

4 5 The Guyana ICT Professional Development Framework for • NCERD plans the following: Teachers currently incorporates the following professional • In the next five years, to create a dedicated module development options: on ICT integration for school principals that will be • ICT components in the revised CPCE programme (which is integrated into a generic 18-month course for school planned to be a two-year programme leading to a two-year principals. This module will need to be offered as a Associate Degree in Education): stand-alone course for principals who have already • Two compulsory courses. The first will introduce successfully completed the course without the ICT teachers to ICT — electronic and otherwise — and Integration module. This module will include a specific the second will involve studying in more detail ICT in focus on using ICT in school administration. education, equivalent to six semester credits (these • To repackage the four ICT Integration modules being courses focus on Technology Literacy, as defined in the designed for the new CPCE and UG Advanced Diploma UNESCO ICT CFT). in Education (ADE) and BEd programmes into two stand- • A dedicated focus on secondary subject options to alone courses for qualified teachers, and to design enable teachers to specialise in teaching IT as a subject. a stand-alone course for qualified teachers who are teaching IT as a subject but are not formally qualified to • Subject-specific ICT integration specialisations do so. (incorporated into subject-specific courses, not delivered as separate modules). • To develop two versions of a stand-alone short course on using SuccessMaker6 in schools — one for teachers • ICT components in the revised UG programme (a further who are already ICT literate and one for teachers who two years of study, leading to a BEd): are not. • Two more compulsory courses on ICT integration in • To develop a short course for ICT coordinators in schools. education, equivalent to six semester credits (anticipated to focus on Knowledge Deepening, as defined in the • To develop a course for ICT maintenance and support UNESCO ICT CFT). personnel. • A dedicated focus on secondary subject options to The strategy assumes transformation initiatives at a number enable teachers to specialise in teaching IT as a subject. of levels within the education sector: Ministerial, Government Agencies, Teacher Education Institutions and the schools • Subject-specific ICT integration specialisations themselves. (incorporated into existing modules and not delivered as separate modules).

The UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (CFT) was used as a conceptual framework for the Guyana initiative. The framework was used to analyse and assess the benefits of using ICT for educational management, teaching, learning and administration.

6 The following strategic initiatives are broken down according to stakeholder needs in Guyana.

The Ministry of Education

The strategy aims to: 4. Coordinate a clear message. The Ministry is putting 1. Spread awareness by focusing on: a communication and advocacy strategy in place. The strategy will make clear the new direction that the • the beneficial roles that ICT and OER (Open Education Ministry wants to take and will identify new channels Resources) can play in meeting education needs; to improve communication among all education • the potential impact of ICT on the quality and efficiency stakeholders. Such a strategy should clarify the key of education management and administration, positions and messages of each stakeholder group, enhancements to teaching and learning, and improved the audience and the related activities. The Ministry’s communication channels between all stakeholders; and Communication and Advocacy Strategy document • a recognition of what is possible among managers and was therefore designed to shape and unify advocacy administrators. messages. 2. Create policies and plans. The Guyana ICT Professional 5. Consult local and external experts. The strategy Development Strategy for Teachers sets out a three-year aims to encourage the development of a “think tank” or plan with the aim of delivering the following results: consultancy. An ICT Committee, composed of both local and international authorities on , • Existing policies reviewed and revised to support the aims to inform government of the latest developments new emphasis on using ICT. and possibilities in a field that is constantly growing and • A professional development framework and detailed changing. implementation plans to support the emphasis on ICT in In Guyana, the Ministerial ICT Steering Committee is the context of teacher education. responsible for monitoring and evaluating ICT in education • The current curriculum reviewed and reworked. activities. • Stakeholder capacity-building initiatives for all education stakeholders developed and implemented. • The existing school portal expanded to support all curricula. • Monitoring system established to track implementation. 3. Improve capacity. Ministry officials require basic ICT skills. The efforts to transform education will only gain traction when the personnel who represent the nation’s highest education authority embrace ICT in conducting their daily responsibilities. For example, if officials require digital data from schools to compile statistics for national planning, the schools will be obligated to capture their school records digitally.

We need initiatives that encourage a change in the mindsets of people at all levels. 7 Teacher Education Institutions

Teacher educators at CPCE and the Faculty of Education, UG, also require support to enhance and improve teacher education through the use of ICT. CPCE and the Faculty of Education, UG, are responsible for shaping the skills and values of new teachers and for designing professional development opportunities for in-service teachers. Government agencies or provincial/district offices that support professional development, curriculum reform and resource acquisitions also need to be targeted. Ideally, initiatives implemented by government agencies and teacher education institutions should do the following: 1. Spread awareness. Many teacher educators are unaware of the possibilities that ICT offer. However, once they are exposed to trends — things happening elsewhere in the world — that add value to the education process, many will be quick to adopt and adapt. Teacher educators in Guyana appreciated the exposure to new digital resources and tools that they experienced when working on the development of the new curriculum for ICT integration. The lecturers were also quick to see which combinations would work within their specific learning areas and levels. 2. Improve capacity. This stakeholder group also needs to use ICT tools in their daily work to ensure that student and teacher competencies mirror their own. Electronic communication, reporting and record keeping are simple yet valuable skills that should be integrated seamlessly into daily responsibilities. Ideally, this group’s competence should develop beyond simple productivity skills so that they can champion the use of ICT in education to enhance teaching and learning.

8 3. Develop curricula and teaching materials. If ICT are to become part of the way in which teachers teach, learners learn and school managers operate, the teacher education curriculum should reflect the important roles that ICT might play in a typical school. Opportunities to study and investigate ICT in education should be reflected in the curricula of both pre- and in-service teachers. The curricula and associated materials should be designed to work within the national context and mirror the conditions that teachers will find on the ground. Student teachers should be required to study these curricula at different stages of their own development as teachers. While curriculum revision is often considered a time-consuming and expensive process, the creation of an ICT-friendly component for the teacher education curriculum in Guyana was achieved at a relatively low cost by using the UNESCO ICT CFT framework and repurposing OER. The innovative curriculum and materials development process used in Guyana is outlined below. 4. Assess access to ICT and connectivity. Because universal access to ICT infrastructure and reliable connectivity is not always possible, it is necessary to audit, and where necessary improve, teacher educators’ access to ICT. This process, although undoubtedly beneficial, can be costly. Initiatives should improve access by building institutional pools of technology such as laboratories and/ or by subsidising or negotiating on behalf of students and staff the acquisition of privately owned devices and Internet access. In Guyana, teachers receive a laptop when they graduate from their higher education programme thanks to the Ministry’s Teacher Laptop Programme. It is hoped that, in the medium term, significant numbers of new teachers entering the system will be able to influence teaching practice due to their exposure to ICT Integration during their pre-service training.

9 Teachers and Schools

The “chalkface” is perhaps an obvious place to implement 3. Encourage capacity building. Initiatives that encourage initiatives for improving teaching and learning through the use of the learning of basic ICT skills, as well as the specific skills ICT. However, the logistics of managing this consistently across required for the meaningful use of ICT for education purposes all schools are very challenging. The Guyana ICT Professional (hopefully shaped by the curriculum mentioned earlier), are Development Strategy for Teachers therefore incorporates the being encouraged. In Guyana, in-service teachers and school following types of initiatives to support teachers: management have been targeted for this type of training. The 1. Audit existing competencies. An audit of ICT readiness thinking is that this ICT Integration training should include needs to be conducted to identify appropriate interventions. managing ICT in schools and other management-related Answers to questions such as “What existing ICT skills topics. Due to the large numbers of teachers and managers are prevalent (or not)?” “What access do teachers have requiring training, the strategy must be cost-effective. Where to ICT and connectivity?” and “What is the current level of possible, face-to-face opportunities for instruction need to awareness?” will inform other interventions. The audit of be balanced by content and skills mediated by the tools ICT competencies should cover not only teachers but also themselves. Materials and tasks are thus being distributed Ministry officials, teacher trainers and district support officers using CD-ROMs; in time, as connectivity becomes ubiquitous, in the field as they play a significant role in supporting they will be distributed over the Internet. Capacity building professional development. should not be seen as a single initiative as it requires a series of programmes and courses. Individuals develop over A set of questionnaires aimed at these stakeholders time, and so this process requires multiple opportunities was developed and distributed. Using a rubric format, for growth. These opportunities require different levels of it surveyed aspects such as stakeholders’ access to proficiency and skill as a prerequisite for entry to particular ICT, usage patterns, familiarity with various software courses. Also, a capacity-building programme should offer a packages, confidence, previous training and opinions different educational focus — ideally one that is informed by on the future role of ICT. The results were collected and the ICT in the Teacher Education curriculum. collated into an information base that will be used in the planning of various training initiatives. In Guyana, NCERD has appointed a team of mentors who visit schools regularly, partly to monitor usage of 2. Assess access to ICT and connectivity. If the use of ICT the computer systems and partly to train and support is to be embraced by teachers, access to computers and staff who use computer rooms. They are given training connectivity is essential. Sponsored or subsidised laptops, on the educational software that has been installed and school computer laboratories for classes and learners, and on how best to manage class behaviour in the computer dedicated computers for administration purposes will be room. In addition, as has been noted, new professional required if ICT is to play a real role in transforming teaching, development courses that embrace the above ideals are learning and administration. In Guyana, the government has in the process of being developed. In-service teachers a number of ambitious ICT in Education projects designed will shortly be able to complete ICT in Education courses to improve ICT access for the school community. The One modelled closely on the UNESCO ICT CFT and the Laptop per Family project aims to give families with school- resources collected for the pre-service teachers. going children access to computers, while the Computers for Schools Project is building small laboratories in both primary and secondary schools throughout the country. These laboratories have computers connected to a server containing educational software and printing facilities.

10 Monitoring and Evaluation

As with any multifaceted initiative, it is essential to monitor • assess the effectiveness of the ICT courses/training and evaluate progress to ensure that the stated objectives offered; are being met. Ongoing feedback allows for refinement and • assess the extent to which each of the seven results improvement and the evaluation process will indicate the specified in the strategy have been achieved; extent of success or failure. Monitoring and evaluation thus need to be incorporated as essential components of the • understand the conditions in which the anticipated results strategy’s design. have and/or have not been achieved; and With this in mind, the Guyana Ministry of Education prepared • identify (as early as possible throughout the implementation a detailed monitoring and evaluation strategy that seeks to: process) changes and improvements needed to ensure that the strategy achieves its outcomes. • track changes in ICT use over time; • track participation in ICT courses/training;

11 Curriculum Review and Improvement: The role of the UNESCO ICT CFT

how to use MS Word), the UNESCO ICT CFT provides a solidly educational context for the development of ICT skills and competencies to integrate ICT into teaching and learning. Another component of the UNESCO ICT CFT that was appropriate for Guyana is the cyclical nature of the competencies described. The framework encourages teachers to acquire general ICT competencies and then revisit the focus areas to develop them further. There are three approaches — Technology Literacy, Knowledge Deepening Curriculum review can often be a lengthy and contentious and Knowledge Creation — each of which builds on the process. Early attempts at developing an ICT in Education knowledge gained from the one before. As one progresses curriculum at both CPCE and UG resulted in disparate and from one approach to another, the activities demand greater uneven courses that lacked a uniform message. There was higher-order thinking skills. As teachers complete the also no logical curriculum flow as student teachers moved activities, they move from acquiring a basic understanding from CPCE to UG to complete their education studies. The of issues relating to ICT to reinterpreting an educator’s adoption of the UNESCO ICT CFT streamlined the curriculum responsibilities in a way that will help them use ICT tools in review process in Guyana. The framework emphasises the various ways. In the ICT Professional Development Strategy role that ICT can play in supporting six major education areas: for Teachers, the learning pathway described for student teachers mirrors the UNESCO ICT CFT’s cyclical path (see • ICT in and vision; Figure 1). In-service courses reflect the proficiency levels of • curriculum and assessment issues; the Technology Literacy cycle, diploma- and bachelor-level • pedagogy; courses are suitable for Knowledge Deepening, and advanced specific short courses are offered to experienced in-service • ICT; teachers in alignment with the Knowledge Creation cycle. • school organisation and administration; and Initially, the UNESCO ICT CFT was used to spread awareness • teacher professional development. of the potential role of ICT in education within the Ministry It encourages an approach to teacher development that and among lecturers of student teachers. The framework uses these areas to demonstrate directly the educational was entrenched in the consciousness of Guyana policy benefit that can be derived from ICT. Significantly, instead advisors and administrators. Subsequently, it formed part of of presenting an ICT application approach (such as teaching the curriculum review process and significantly shaped the materials development process.

12 Unlike many commercial programmes and courses, the UNESCO ICT CFT, while identifying competencies, is not prescriptive about how these competencies should be achieved. Originally, Guyana lecturers found the ICT in Education online courses — which used proprietary software, commercially available ICT texts and online materials — to be financially prohibitive. Also, most of the programmes and courses available from developed countries assumed Western standards of access and connectivity. The environment in which new CPCE and UG graduates are expected to work when they are appointed to a local school is quite different. The UNESCO ICT CFT not only provided a sound framework for teacher professional development but also freed Guyana courseware designers to exploit and adapt free high-quality OER rather than locking them into a costly proprietary environment.

“ICT here is poorly serviced by the national infrastructure. There is often a lack of electricity supply or technicians to maintain them, connectivity, etc. Also within schools there is not always the support by senior teachers.”

Marcia Thomas, National ICT Coordinator, NCERD, on the challenging environment in which student teachers can find themselves.

13 ,

Guyana Materials 4. The developer constructs a number of user guides that identify a proposed learning pathway through the OER Development Model materials, ideally without any repurposing of the OER. In The Guyana approach to developing an ICT in Education addition to identifying the sequence of learning events, programme harnesses existing OER and shapes them, with the developer should also offer a suggested set of student minimal repurposing, into a form that responds to the needs activities. This is so that the learning process is not merely of a local environment. Developers therefore need basic ICT didactic in nature but calls on students to engage critically skills, familiarity with their particular subjects’ requirements with the sourced OER. Also, if the developer is part of a and knowledge of the needs and abilities of the target student team of teachers, it would be beneficial to develop some audience. Most teachers and lecturers have these abilities. suggested teaching guidelines. Assessment opportunities could also be a component of the guides. The Model’s Development Steps 5. Much can be learned during the deployment phase. The following steps explain the development cycle of the Students and teachers should work through the materials model (see Figure 2): in an authentic setting to thoroughly test the assumptions 1. The proposed course or programme should be thoroughly of the developer. mapped ahead of any development phases. The map 6. There should be an opportunity to evaluate the course should contain high-level objectives as well as any before it ends. Collect student and staff feedback on how specific unit outcomes, proposed content and teaching best to improve the course. methodology and even notional hours. This is necessary 7. A revision phase should follow so that the collected user because the map will shape the development phases feedback can inform changes to the course. Should some and will be used to assess to what extent various draft of the OER be jettisoned and replaced with new material? versions of the course satisfy the overall purpose and Perhaps some of the OER need to be reworked slightly? function of the course. Or perhaps some of the activities need to be adapted? 2. An Internet search for OER that support the teaching of Feedback will help the developer answer these questions. the various course units is the next step. These resources are available free of charge and do not require permission to use, distribute and, in many instances, repurpose. They are copyrighted with an open licence — typically a Creative Commons licence. Several OER websites, in particular OER Commons (www.oercommons.org), make this search process easier than it sounds. 3. Beyond pinpointing OER that are closely aligned to the course direction identified by the curriculum map, a developer also needs to determine the quality and suitability of each OER found, as well as the amount of repurposing they require. Ideally you will be looking for resources that need as little repurposing as possible. Note, however, that the developer should assess how the OER would be used within the course plotted in the map. He/she must find ways to incorporate the OER into the course, which requires a certain level of creativity.

Figure 2: Materials Development Cycle

14 The model on the facing page informed the creation of an Mapping the Curriculum ICT in Education course designed to encourage teachers to The team’s first step was to map the UNESCO ICT CFT and integrate ICT into their teaching at CPCE and the Faculty of determine what treatment each competency identified by Education at UG (see http://ccti.colfinder.org/education/guyana). the framework would receive in practice. Lessons or units This process was supported by NCERD. were proposed around a framework competency and issues The issue that arose in Guyana was how to provide teacher such as content, methodology, treatment, notional hours education students with course materials that modelled and support materials were proposed. This process allowed effective integration of ICT into the teaching and learning writers to weight the different focus areas and to determine process, and that were also cost-effective and sympathetic the number of hours a student should spend working on the to the ICT constraints prevalent in Guyana schools. materials. For example, it was decided to spend 60 notional The lecturers at CPCE and UG, guided by the advisors at hours on the Technology Literacy phase and 70-90 hours on NCERD, were in a restricted-access environment when they Knowledge Deepening. used the development model described above to devise Simple spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel) was used to do a strategy to create a course that would work in a similar this mapping so that the map could be easily edited, updated environment. It should be noted that the ICT facilities available and shared among the development team (see Figure 3). to students at CPCE were modest. Students had access to a This was particularly important because the map provided computer room with limited printing and Internet services. guidance for the next stage of development: determining However, many of them had already identified ICT as a key tool which OER might support the lessons. to assist them in their studies and future employment and had acquired personal laptops. Conditions at UG are much better thanks to a state-of-the-art computer facility.

TECHNOLOGY LITERACY Notional Hours Contact Session Self Independant Independent Suggested Unit

Teaching and Learning Strategies ‐ With Computer Module & Unit Title Objectives Proposed Content OER and free resources to be adapted Content & Proposed activities Activities Assessment

Computer Self Practicals Tutorials Practice Lecture

Study 1 Understanding ICT in Education (Link ICT with National Policy)

Pre service teachers should be able to http://www.paclii.org/gateway/Files/Legal_Research/PacLII_Using_Internet.pdf describe the Internet and the World Wide Students practice opening the browser software, http://www.newbie.org/internet_explorer Web, elaborate on their uses, describe ensuring they are connected and then typing in http://www.scribd.com/doc/3116372/Basic‐Internet‐Tutorial‐1 1 Internet Navigation Basic Internet navigation using URL 0.5 1.166 0.5 how a browser various URLs. They also learn to analyse a URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engines Unit 1 works and use a URL to access a website. for domain information. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/biomed/guides/web‐search/components.html (TL.4.e) https://eljmicrosoft.intuition.com Students navigate to http://www.ict4d.gov.gy/ Pre service teachers should be able to and download a copy of the ICT4D Guyana http://www.ict4d.gov.gy/ictstrategy/ICT4D_Strategy_FinalDraft.pdf identify key characteristics of classroom National ICT policy and its impact National Strategy document. Review http://www.newbie.org/internet_explorer 2 practices and specify how these Policy familiarisation 1 11 on education independently and then in tutorial groups http://www.basiccomputerinformation.ca/saving‐dowloads/ Unit 2 characteristics serve to implement brainstorm classroom practices that would http://www.csdms.in/gesci/Kozma_Policy_Recommendations_for_India.asp policies. (TL.1.a) support the documents directives. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_purpose_of_a_word_processing_software Pre‐service teachers are able describe and http://www.baycongroup.com/wlesson0.htm demonstrate the basic tasks and uses of Basic use of a Word processor: Opening Students need to write a short report on http://office.microsoft.com/en‐us/word‐help/ 3 Report on Policy Impact word processors, such as text entry, program, orientation and basic practical strategies that could fulfil some of the 0.5 1 2.5 https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/pdfs/2_assessmenttasks/super_report.pdf Unit 3 editing text, formatting text and printing formatting. policy directives http://www.ict4d.gov.gy/ictstrategy/ICT4D_Strategy_FinalDraft.pdf (TL.4.b) http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/reports.htm http://www.betterwritingskills.com/Report_Writing_Sample.pdf Figure2 Curriculum &3: Assessment Curriculum (Meaningful integration Map of ICT into using the subject) spreadsheet software Pre service teachers should be able to match specific curriculum standards to Computer practical using online Educator https://eljmicrosoft.intuition.com particular software packages and Curriculum standards. Role of technology Learning Journy online tutorials. Tutor session to https://eljmicrosoft.intuition.com 1 Curriculum Standards 21 computer applications and describe how in achieving these standards look at creating lesson plans based on http://www.education.gov.gy/Public/Resource.aspx?cat=6 Unit 1 these standards are supported by these curriculum guides http://www.education.gov.gy/Public/Resource.aspx?cat=7 applications. (TL.2.a) http://www.internettutorials.net/ Pre‐service teachers should be able to use Search Engine Strategies: Google, Yahoo, Computer practical focuses on advanced search 2 Internet Search Engines 21http://www.googleguide.com/experienced_users.html a search engine (TL.4.f) Ask etc. strategies with an assignment for self study UNESCO ICT CFT. Unfortunately, while the content was good,Unit 2 Selection of OER and Other http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=11203 Computer practical and self study focuses on Pre‐service teachers evaluate and select online tools to help assessment: Survey Monkey, https://eljmicrosoft.intuition.com | http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/monkey/index.html | 3 Assessment Tools Students review online assessment tools. the high-end21 Web design used multimedia, student tracking Free ResourcesICT assessment resources (2.2) Quiz Star, Quandary etc. Followed by self study http://quizstar.4teachers.org/ | http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary.php Unit 3 tutorials at ELJ Computer practical focuses on online tools to Pre‐service teachers can set up a record School management/administration help track student and school records. Students and integrated feedback and was too sophisticated to work in 4 Student Records keeping system using a school wide 2 http://schooltool.org/ | http://ts‐school.com systems go therough the steps to develop a Unit 4 Guided by the curriculumsystem (2.3) map, the development team collaboratively generated class report Computer tutorial designed to help learners the limited connectivity environment prevalent in Guyana. Pre‐service teachers should be able to use Simple teacher's Mark Book using construct a class mark book using spreadsheet http://www.baycongroup.com/el0.htm | searched for potentialnetworked record resources keeping software to tospreadsheet. support Learners learn the to lay out acquisition 5 Classroom Records program. Excel skills covered include basic 22http://exceltutorial.info/excel_tutorial_1.htm?PHPSESSID=5d90a14aea4c5f5884b501cc0ab5131a | take attendance, submit grades, and worksheet and calculate totals and Unit 5 formatting, SUM, AVERAGE and creating http://office.microsoft.com/en‐us/excel‐help/available‐chart‐types‐HA010342187.aspx maintain student records. (TL.4.j) averages of the UNESCO ICT CFT competencies. Generally teacherformulas to determine term marks. Another free resource that proved useful was the 3 Pedagogy (ICT should support good teaching & Learning practice) education resources are well represented within theLecture onOER different learning theories and the Commonwealth of Learning’s Commonwealth Certificate Pre‐service teachers should be able to Brief introduction to didactic role of didacticism. Tutorial on multiple describe how didactic teaching and ICT methodology and then some intelligence theory and how IT can support https://eljmicrosoft.intuition.com | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(learning_theory) | Strategies for Intergrating ICT into 1 can be used to support students’ consideration on how ICT can support different leaarning preferences. Computer 1.5on 1 Teacher2 ICT0.5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didactic Integration (CCTI) | http://www.interaction course.‐ It was especially communityTeaching but the development team found that few were Unit 1 acquisition of school subject matter this methodology. Examples of ICT Use to practical and self study focuses on online ELJ design.org/encyclopedia/multiple_intelligences.html | http://literacyworks.org/mi/home.html knowledge. (TL.3.a) suit various objectives. tutorials on didactic methodology and IT created specifically with the UNESCO ICT CFT in support.mind. useful in providing materials that could be used in the Pre‐service teachers should be able to Computer practical looks at basic PPT skills and describe and demonstrate the purpose then on different teaching strategies where the https://vula.uct.ac.za/access/content/group/f779dbd8‐4aa3‐40c0‐b0dd‐ 2 Powerpoint for Pedagogues and basic features of presentation Introduction to basics of PowerPoint Knowledge2 Deepening2.5 section as many of the activities teacher can use the program to supoport their be10f9392469/manuals/CET%20Powerpoint%202007%20Training%20Manual%20v1.1.pdf Unit 2 software and other The free but copyrighted Microsoft Educator Learninglessons. Journey digital resources. (TL.4.c) called for more than simple comprehension. The URLs of (ELJ) series of pre- and in-service teacher ICT tutorials were potentially useful resources were recorded in the curriculum especially useful as the units had been created using the map (see Figure 3, Column L).

15 Determining Use of OER and Guide Writing Free Resources During this phase the three- When it came to creating a person development team learning pathway to guide developed a set of simple students and teaching staff, guides to set out the suggested not all the identified resources learning pathway through the proved useful. An analysis of selected resources. The team the collected resources weeded also developed a teaching out those whose connection to methodology that called for the competencies described students to be engaged in the in the curriculum map were learning process through a series either tentative or that required of activities. These activities were too much repurposing to make organised around four teaching them useful. Some educators and learning interventions: the consider those who use OER to lecture, the tutorial, the computer be lacking in both imagination practical and self-study sessions and creativity, but the creation (see http://ccti.colfinder.org). of a learning pathway that The guides were constructed skilfully harnesses existing using a simple word processing materials to achieve a specific programme, because they were set of outcomes is a highly only suggested routes and the creative and challenging developers appreciated that process. All educators lecturers would most likely want should acquire the skills of to edit the documents to better determining how a resource is suit their own teaching context. to be used and conceiving a set In an effort to support the of activities and tasks to elicit lecturers, the development team the desired competencies. compiled facilitation notes that The resources’ specific copyright licence limited how and included guidelines on how best to organise the tutorials and to what extent each resource could be used. Some of the practical computer sessions. They also assembled a list of resources had rights prohibiting any repurposing. While the further reading and references for the lecturers. Each of the development principle was to limit repurposing as much as course’s 36 units had its own guide. Copious hyperlinks to the possible, there were still instances where the restrictions various resources were embedded into the electronic version on a resource made it unusable. In the few instances where of the guide’s pages. a copyrighted work was deemed indispensable, copyright permission was secured to reproduce the work. All copyright conditions were honoured for all licences and rights conditions.

16 Figure 4: Screenshot of a page from Technology Literacy, Module 3 Unit 1 on CD-ROM.

Deployment, Evaluation and Revisions • Further reading lists were added to the facilitation guides as they were considered useful for new staff/lecturers, Various units of the course were deployed at CPCE, where student tutors and facilitators. staff reported a mostly positive experience. Initial feedback from CPCE staff and comments and suggestions from UG An electronic version of the course was developed so that staff staff were all collected and collated to inform revisions to and students could choose between using the paper-based the course materials. While the evaluation results identified versions or the electronic (CD-ROM) version (see Figure 4). many potential improvements, some were deemed significant The electronic version of the course was built using a Web enough to justify the following changes: interface that spoke directly to the students and contained downloaded versions of most of the resources in a PDF format. • The guides were organised to place less emphasis on The CD-ROM also contained the print versions of the units. the facilitation notes so that they could be handed out for students to work alone. They were aimed directly at When the electronic version was tested out by CPCE and UG the students rather than at the lecturing staff and hence staff prior to redeployment, it sparked a chorus of suggestions became teaching materials rather than guides. for further functionality. Once staff had used the CD-ROM version they began to see opportunities for the use of • The OER and free resources were downloaded onto a multimedia, databases and other electronic user aids that had CD-ROM to eliminate the need for connectivity. been impossible in the paper versions.

17 18 Lessons Learned during the Guyana Implementation

Several lessons emerged during the implementation of the • The real benefit of using OER is that once a master version Guyana ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers: has been fashioned from repurposed resources it can be ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers Lessons: legally shared and distributed among a large group at no additional cost. Localised repurposing by those who can • High-level support of the initiatives is key for success. and want to adapt it can also be legally endorsed. • There is a need for a committee to bring key interests and stakeholders together for successful implementation. • The UNESCO ICT CFT provides an excellent point of reference for the development or refinement of Potential Impact development strategies. The Guyana ICT Professional Development Strategy for • It cannot be assumed that teacher education providers Teachers initiative has had many positive benefits, and those have the necessary skills to develop, adapt and implement linked closely to the initiative can see even more benefits courses aligned with the UNESCO ICT CFT. beyond its immediate scope. • An ICT infrastructure is necessary if a professional For example, Marcia Thomas, the National ICT Coordinator at development initiative like this one is to succeed. NCERD, identified an additional role that OER had played. She • Some seed funding is likely to be needed to initiate noted that the lecturers who had the opportunity to engage activities to support technical assistance and capacity with the OER development process for the course used building to integrate the strategy into existing processes. quality resources and were expected to vet their usage. This experience was very valuable in terms of their professional • Communication, advocacy and a defined monitoring and development. She noted that the dearth of quality resources evaluation strategy are important to support the process. is a serious hindrance to educators’ professional growth Materials Development Lessons: throughout the country and commented, • Engagement in the process and adoption of the course This project helps in terms of developing educators materials by the lecturers is enhanced if the product meets to become better teachers by providing them with a real need or requirement. quality resources. There really is a dire need for • Despite current advances in e-learning that use ICT in quality resources. For example, hinterland teachers increasingly sophisticated ways, the most appropriate use might know about traffic lights but are unaware of of ICT needs to be assessed in the context in which it will the colour sequence! be used. When assessing the context, both infrastructural Mohammed Odeen, a subject specialist at NCERD, also issues and human capacity need to be assessed. In this identified benefits of the initiative beyond its immediate particular instance, the paper-based materials are possibly design. He commented that the project went some way more useful than the electronic version because both towards achieving the ICT vision as articulated by the access to ICT and familiarity with the tools are still limited government by encouraging the next generation of teachers for many students and teachers. to improve ICT competencies by using ICT for educational • OER can offer a cost-effective route to acquiring quality purposes. He also pointed out that the different teaching teaching and learning materials, especially in environments approach of the course encouraged teachers to adopt new where resources are in short supply. It is not, however, a teaching strategies. He believed the course would create a shortcut to the normal materials development process. demand for better access to ICTs and connectivity within the Time, skill and creativity are required to rework the college and schools. materials to satisfy a specific set of objectives identified by a curriculum committee or body.

19 The director of NCERD, Mohandatt Goolsarran, envisaged He added that an important component of the project was its an important role for OER in the future as he anticipated focus on adapting OER to promote learner-centric learning. He expanding the current focus of the initiative. He commented, believes that We need more OER and a strong platform for the The learning and teaching culture in Guyana will dissemination of these resources. At the moment we be shaken to its foundations by the incorporation use CD-ROMs. We would also like a subject focus of ICT and interventions like the COL/ComSec/ for teaching with ICT — for example, Mathematics Microsoft project. Consequently, many educators are and also Science. We should focus on not only the scared because they will need to prepare learners “how-to-teach” but also the “what-to-teach” and any to think critically and create, which is different sequence required to do it well. from traditional methods that placed emphasis on memorising information and performances in tests and exams. It is crucial now to focus on critical creative thinking.

“In light of what I have seen (Gutenberg.org and Manybooks. net) it would be a good idea to pre-load the computers that are being distributed through the One Computer per Family project as well as the laptops that are being given to this and subsequent years’ student teacher graduates with free OER. Also the computers that are being distributed to the schools should also have a place where we could load these digital versions of the texts.”

Parikhan Ram: Language Subject Specialist, NCERD, on a potential strategy to provide students with more opportunities to read.

20 While the potential benefits of using OER are commonly The partnership between the Ministry of Education, known, it is especially encouraging that many in Guyana Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth of Learning are now seeing the freedom granted by open licensing as a and Microsoft has been instrumental in the successful mechanism to provide tools that will transform education. implementation of the UNESCO ICT CFT in Guyana to date. While exposure to quality materials is considered significant, Each partner has provided resources and competencies the exposure to different learning strategies has made a that created a synergistic effect and mutually reinforced the number of individuals who are responsible for shaping interest of all parties — a critical ingredient for a successful education in Guyana optimistic that OER might be the catalyst and effective partnership. In Guyana, the Ministry of Education for a change in how we teach and how learners learn. provided leadership and subject matter experts; UNESCO provided the framework; and the Commonwealth Secretariat was the lead partner and, with the Commonwealth of Learning, provided access to high-level officials and co- financed the project. Microsoft provided access to its Partners in Learning resources, including a worldwide network of education experts. The Commonwealth of Learning also provided a wealth of experience in ICT in education and Conclusion access to a library of eContent. The partnership worked The Guyana case study demonstrates that ICT can be used well because there was trust, honesty, openness, mutual effectively as a catalyst for educational change. The potential understanding and respect, and, possibly most important, a benefits that can be derived from embracing ICT tools and shared vision to educate teachers on the use of ICT to create content (in the form of OER) are significant and can enhance the next generation of workers that will be able to function teaching and learning, administration and communication. effectively in the 21st century. The Guyana Ministry of Education was farsighted in its A question remains, however: is this experience replicable? realisation that at the core of this transformation was not In countries where resources and human capacity are the technology itself but rather the people who would be at a premium, its transfer looks promising. Beyond the expected to use it. These people can be found at all levels necessary infrastructural requirements, which are always within the education sector: the Ministry of Education, a capital-intensive exercise, the training, curriculum review agencies, teacher training institutions and the schools and materials development processes can be achieved cost- themselves. Consequently, Guyana has built a professional effectively. This is only possible because of the availability of development strategy that meets the needs of all its quality free and open resources and ICT tools. However, the education stakeholders. Guyana case study does illustrate that there needs to be a In addition, the initiatives designed to build educators’ champion at the highest level within the Ministry to promote, capacity illustrate that digital resources such as the mediate and also direct the various initiatives required. UNESCO ICT CFT and OER, as well as many of the ICT tools available, add value rather than simply adding to existing responsibilities. After an initial investment of time and resources, ICT will lead to improved productivity, enhanced teaching and learning, and more effective administration and communication channels. The Guyana ICT Professional Development Strategy for Teachers illustrates a potential pathway to achieving a transformation.

21 Notes Web Resources 1 World Factbook. (2011). Guyana. UNESCO ICT CFT: www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/ teacher-education/unesco-ict-competency-framework-for- 2 Z. Jennings. (1998). Nipped in the Bud: Young Guyanese adults and teachers/ their functional literacy. East Bank , Guyana: Educational and Development Services Inc., p. 18. Guyana materials: http://ccti.colfinder.org/education/guyana 3 Ministry of Education’s Strategic Plan 2008-2013, p. 32. Commonwealth Certificate for Teacher’s ICT Integration (CCTI): 4 These statements are adapted from UNESCO’s 2008 ICT www.schoolnet.org.za/CoL/ACE/ Competency Standards for Teachers: Policy framework. 5 http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002134/213475E.pdf 6 SuccessMaker is instructional software that helps elementary and middle school learners understand and practise essential reading and mathematics concepts.

References Central Intelligence Agency. (2012). The World Factbook: Guyana. Available online at www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/gy.html. Accessed 18 April 2012. Guyana Ministry of Education. (2008). Strategic Plan 2008-2013. Available online at www.education.gov.gy/web/index.php/moe- overview/policies/file/89-education-strategic-plan.html. Accessed 18 April 2012. Jennings, Z. (1998). Nipped in the Bud: Young Guyanese adults and their functional literacy. East Bank Demerara, Guyana: Educational and Development Services Inc. UNESCO. (2008). ICT Competency Standards for Teachers: Policy framework. Available online at http://cst.unesco-ci.org/sites/ projects/cst/The%20Standards/ICT-CST-Policy%20Framework.pdf Accessed 18 April 2012. UNESCO. (2011). UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers. Available at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/

images/0021/002134/213475E.pdf Accessed 18 April 2012.

22 23 Author/Researcher: Andrew Moore Editor: Neil Butcher and Trudi van Wyk Brochure Review: Lesley Cameron Design and Layout: Denise Tremblay Photographs: Andrew Moore

All Web references and links in this publication are accurate at press time. Commonwealth of Learning, 2012

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